The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-24
COMMON SENSE TEACHING.
Need of Teachers Associations How the
Child should he Taught.

1
Child should he Taught.
DAYToNA, FLA. May 90.
Editor ~ ne PdIdiIsd Neins
Another public school year has come
to a close. As each year begins the
cause seems to receive more attention.
There are several things we ought 10
have. One is teachers meeting held
in each county, that il, there should be
rs many Teachers Associations as there
are counties. Each teacher should be
encouraged TO attend. They should be
school begins. They should he sustained
by the county Boards OF Public Instruc-
ton. The object should be 10
help the teachers To use the best
methods of recitations of dicipline and
instruction. How 10 secure the atten-
ton of pupils; how 10 retain il; should
he subjects of consideration. The habit
of furnishing by severe whipping, boxing
ears, etc, is, happily, fast disappearing.
Teachers find that children can be easier
controlled by "A suggestion than "A posi-
tive command. Children expect To
study when they enter school.
The careful teacher will try 10 secure
the attention first. The mind cannot be
opened to receive anything unless IL is
interested. The most brilliant discourse
will not affect us and we
have gained nothing because the
doors Of our minds were shut.
We did not feel the need of il. We were
| =, -, Z,
tion. How cruel il would seem 10 us
grown up people IL we were TO be pun
ished because we were not benefited.
Teachers who are inclined TO make set
| speeches TO their pupils or give long
talks or lectures about certain things
they think important should remember
how they preferred 10 find things out for
themselves. The children OF to-day
| are Just as original as Sir Isaac New
ton or Benjamin Franklin, but they are
not left 10 investigate things. Children
| like 10 make use of what they learn.
| Take two children who are learning
the tables Of weights and measures, give
one some nice clean sand, four boxes,
one twice a. large as the smallest, the
other eight times larger, one four times
larger than the last. Tell them that the
smallest represents one pint, the second
n quart, the third n peck measure and
the fourth bushel. Let him find out by
emptying sand from one box into the
others how many pints, quarts and pecks
| in bushel, and see how eagerly he will
go TO work. Give the other "A book with
n table and let him commit il 10 mem
ory, and his interest is not awakened by
any means like the other, because he has
not had the practice.
The live teacher will use text books
without abusing them. The time is
coming when "old fogyism" and simply
reading questions out OF text books,
expecting pupils TO commit % memory,
will be discarded. Pupils will he
taught TO use principles as they learn,
and no principle need be given until Its
use is apparent. Thus, there need be no
cramming of seemingly meaningless
questions and answers with many long
words.
The first question of childhood is
What? The second is Why and Howy
The intellect is rapidly growing. We
learn more during the first seven years
without seeming effort then any other
seven years Of our lives. We have
learned a language; 10 read and speak Il
and perhaps TO write easy words. We
have learned TO walk, we have learned
the names Of everything by which we
are surrounded. We have also learned
their uses. Our memory viii retain
more easily what we learn during tho
first fifteen years or youth Of our lives.
The minds seems more pliably.
How important that the best methods
be adopted in our schools. Think and
talk of it, teachers. i am sure you
would not be sorry or regret the time
spent at such meetings. G.. s.
Il